Defiance, Ohio – The Transylvania men's basketball team won their season-best fifth straight contest with an 83-67 victory against the Defiance College Yellow Jackets on Saturday afternoon at the Karl H. Weaner Center.

Gabe Schmitt scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the second half as the Pioneers tore away from the Yellow Jackets for one of their most convincing wins of the season, dominating the painted area and shooting 55 percent on two-point shots.

After winning their sixth game in their last seven contests, the Pioneers raised their record to 8-4 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play and 12-7 overall. Defiance fell to 5-7 in the HCAC and 10-9 overall.

Transylvania drew into a tie for second place in the HCAC standings with Hanover College, which lost at Manchester on Saturday afternoon. Both teams now sit two games back of first-place Franklin College, whom the Pioneers defeated in their most recent game this past Wednesday at home.

Four Pioneers scored in double digits on Saturday as Lucas Gentry tallied 12 points and four rebounds, Michael Jefferson furnished 11 points and game-highs of seven rebounds and five assists, and Luke Schroeder added 10 points off the bench on a perfect 5 for 5 day from the floor in addition to Schmitt's 15-point effort.

The Pioneers audaciously displayed their size, outrebounding the Jackets 43 to 34 and winning the battle of points in the paint by a staggering 46-24 margin.

Gentry was the first Pioneer to mark his territory in the lane, scoring six of Transylvania's first 11 points as the Pioneers grew an 11-6 lead in the first five minutes of play. Defiance responded on a 7-2 run but it would evolve to be the last significant run of the day by the home team.

With the Pioneers down 15-13, Schroeder scored three straight field goals for the Pioneers on an array of inside moves to push the Pioneers ahead at 19-18. Brandon Cromwell converted a three-point play to finish off a 7-0 run to later spot the Pioneers a 26-20 lead.

Transylvania accrued momentum over the final four minutes of the half as Zach Larimore followed up two of his own charity shots with a jump shot. Jefferson contorted for a layup on the following possession for a 34-30 Transy advantage with 2:15 left in the first half. After starting the day 0 for 6 from the field, Schmitt canned a jumper with 1:22 remaining in the half to pave the way for his second-half outburst. Larimore finished off the half with a made jump shot near the half-minute mark, capping the half on a 10-4 Transylvania run and a 38-30 halftime lead.

The Pioneers shut the door on Defiance quickly after intermission, erupting for a 16-4 run as Schmitt's jump shot was alive and well. Following a trade of scores between the Pioneers and Jackets, Schmitt pumped in a 2-point basket and a threeball on consecutive possessions, raising the Pioneer lead to 45-34. Spencer McKinney followed with a triple before Jefferson scored on a three-point play with the second half only three minutes old. Schmitt rose again for a corner three to give the Pioneers a sweltering 54-34 lead at the 16:26 mark of the second half.

Schmitt added one final triple on for size at the 14:49 mark of the second, handing the Pioneers a 59-38 upper hand. All of Schmitt's 13 second-half points came within a span of four minutes and 13 seconds, yet it would serve as the necessary boost for the Pioneers as they continued to work hard inside and find dividends for the rest of the day.

The Pioneers used one more extended run over five and a half minutes to grow their lead to 29 at 70-41 with seven minutes remaining in the contest. Transylvania outscored Defiance 32-11 over the first 13 minutes of the second half to seize their fifth straight win.

The Pioneers held a Defiance team which entered the afternoon shooting 39.7 percent from three-point range to just 7 for 32 from outside for a 21.9 percent clip. Transylvania shot 47 percent from the field overall to 35 percent by the Yellow Jackets.

The Pioneers return to play on Wednesday, February 5 as they head back on the road to visit the Earlham College Quakers. Tip-off between the Pioneers and Quakers is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Druley Performance Gymnasium.

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